In Memory
by souplover9
Summary: Lois is living with the Kent’s for the summer. Clark discovers something about Lois. Clois.
1. Chapter 1

**Rating:** PG

**Song:**_ Dancing in the Moonlight _by Harvest King

**A/N:** This story was inspired from Alison's Lilies and recent events in my life. Thank you Lara for being an awesome beta.

Chapter 1: Memory

The hot muggy summer night was making it impossible for Lois to sleep. She rolled over and glanced at the clock on the nightstand. Big red numbers blared out at her, reading 11:45pm.

She slowly rolled out of bed, stood up, and made her way silently to her dresser and slowly opened the drawer. She looked over her shoulder momentarily to make sure that Chloe was still asleep. Once Lois was certain that her cousin was slumbering, she continued.

Lois inwardly sighed, as the drawer stood open. She reached inside carefully and pulled out the white sundress that belonged to her mother. She held it up to her chest and gently hugged it, remembering the first time she saw her mother wearing it.

-----  
Five-year-old Lois was tossing and turning in bed, unable to sleep in the summer heat.

Why does it have to be so hot? she complained to herself. She was positive that she was sweating to death, as she glanced over at the clock and saw that the time was 11:40pm.

She let out a quiet groan. She looked over to see if Lucy was sleeping. She needed water and didn't want to wake Lucy; once her sister was awake, she remained awake. Lois swiftly rolled out of bed and made her way downstairs, heading towards the kitchen.

On her way there, she noticed the curtains to the patio were pulled back. Naturally, curiosity got the best of her, and she walked to the sliding door.

What she saw that night she would never forget.

Her mother was outside in the backyard, dancing and singing softly to herself.

_We get it almost every night  
When that moon gets big and bright  
It's supernatural delight_

She spun around in a circle, causing the white summer dress to wrap around her.

Her long, chocolate brown hair was down, gently swinging back and forth in the midnight breeze. Lois' hand unconsciously went to her brown locks and gently ran it through her hair, which stopped short of her shoulder.

_Everybody was dancin' in the moonlight_

Ella let out a small laugh, as she threw out her arms and continued to spin across the backyard.

_Everybody here is outta sight  
They don't bark, and they don't bite  
They keep things loose, they keep things light _

Lois stood rooted in her place. She was awe stricken; she had never seen her mother so as happy as she was at that current moment.

I want to make mommy that happy, all the time, Lois said to herself; it felt as though her heart was being tugged at with a chain. She felt guilty because she rarely saw her mother truly happy, as she was at that moment in time.

I should go and give mommy a big hug, she thought. Instead of running out to embrace her, Lois' eyes drifted upwards towards the supernal sky.

_Everybody's dancin' in the moonlight  
Dancing in the moonlight_

Lois heard her mother's melodic voice gradually crescendo, until she was finally able to hear the words that her role model was singing.

_"Everybody's feelin' warm and right  
It's such a fine and natural sight  
Everybody's dancin' in the moonlight_

_We like our fun and we never fight  
You can't dance and stay uptight  
It's supernatural delight  
Everybody's dancin' in the moonlight…"_

Ella stopped dancing, her back turned towards the sliding door. She felt a pair of eyes come to rest in between her shoulder blades and she knew that those eyes belonged to her eldest daughter. She smiled to herself as she heard Lois quickly run out of the room before she had a chance to turn around and look at her.

Lois panicked, as her mother stopped dancing. Oh no, I'm probably going to get in trouble if I stand here much longer. But its mommy, she won't punish me. But I shouldn't be up this late either. She mentally debated with herself and decided it was time to go, as she jet out of the room.

Ella let out a sigh of content. Lois was only a few years younger than she was when she had seen her mother dance under a full moon and in a white dress for the first time. "Someday, Lois, someday soon," she whispered to herself, as she resumed dancing.

Lois sprinted up the stairs, blood pumping through her, as she soundlessly jumped into bed.

When I grow up, I'm gonna be just like mommy, Lois promised herself. And with that thought, she drifted off to sleep, mentally singing Dancing in the Moonlight, forgetting about her thirst.  
---

Lois silently changed into her mother's old unsullied silk dress and hugged herself. Whenever she wore this dress, she felt closer to her mom. The sleeveless dress, that was two fingers straps wide, fell just bellow her knees, slightly flaring at the bottom.

She sighed, as the knots in her stomach grew tighter. Why am I so nervous? Especially tonight, she asked herself as she made her way out into the cool, deserted hallway, which was faintly lit by the moonlight.

She started counting the steps as she descended the flight of stairs; five, six, seven. She jumped over the eighth step, and landed on the tenth. She had miscounted, which resulted in a loud creak. Lois inwardly cringed, hoping that no one would wake up, though she was certain enough that the pounding of her heart would be enough to wake the household.

She stood there until she was certain that no one had woken up from the creaky step.

Lois cautiously made her way down the remaining stairs, hoping that she wouldn't make another sound, and passed by the living room where Clark was sleeping.

-TBC-


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: What's going on?

Clark woke up at the sound of the creaking stair and glanced over at the clock on the VCR, which read 11:45pm.

He frowned as he scratched his raven locks, trying to figure out who it could be. Who would be up at this hour?

It wasn't his mom getting a drink, because she always took a glass of water to bed with her. Couldn't be his dad, he had to get up at the crack of dawn. That narrowed it down to Lois or Chloe—the temporary resident and the house guest.

Clark was about to roll off the couch when he realized that he might scare whoever was descending the stairs and wake up the whole house. He wasn't too worried about scaring Lois though; she would keep silent, not wanting to wake up the house, and then chew him up the first chance she got.

While he was lost in thought, Shelby unexpectedly popped his head up and looked around the room, which caused the sleepy farm boy to jump off the couch; the dog had woken up when Clark had moved. After jumping off the couch, Shelby ran over to the stair well, where he saw Lois standing on the stairs.

Lois clamped her hand over her mouth to ensure that she would not let out a yelp of surprise; her heart had momentarily jumped into her throat when she saw a pair of eyes at the bottom of the stair well. It took her a moment to realize that those glistening eyes belonged to Shelby.

Her nervousness slightly subdued, blaming her edginess on the golden retriever. But her conscious was telling her something else which Lois was ignoring.

With one swift movement, her index finger was sitting on her lips, while giving Shelby an 'If you make a sound there'll be hell to pay' look. She simultaneously prayed that he wouldn't make a sound. She made her way down the last few stairs, and motioned Shelby to quietly follow her out through the kitchen door.

Clark sat up as he heard foot steps and Shelby's claws scrape the ground slowly fade towards the kitchen.

Where was Shelby going, and with whom? Those were the two questions that popped into his brain as he glanced around. He located Lois and Shelby standing by the kitchen door. Lois was was putting on her flip flops, while unlocking the back door.

Lois opened the door, letting in a waft of the hot, summer breeze enter the cool, dark and silent household. Clark quickly lay back down, as Lois turned slightly, to make sure that Shelby was coming outside with her.

The good friend worriedly hoped that Lois had not spotted him. If she saw him, then who knows what would happen. He didn't want Lois to see him, though he didn't know why. All he knew was that it was his gut feeling that she shouldn't know that he was up.

When Clark heard the quiet click of the door, he gently rolled off the couch; slightly relived that Lois didn't see him, he pulled his jeans off the arm rest of the couch and was making a bee line for the kitchen door as soon as they were on. Who knew where Lois was heading this time of night. He pulled open the door and stepped outside into the heat of the summer night, not bothering to put on his shoes.

He gently shut the door behind him and started to look around for Lois and Shelby. He quickly found them. They were heading toward the small the apple tree orchard with Lois mumbling something about being nervous, even thought she had no clue why. Clark, thankful that Lois talked loud, made his way down the porch stairs, and into the apple orchard.

With the exception of Lois's mumbles, the only noise in the dry, sticky heated night was the cricket's chirps and the soft pitter patter of footsteps. He trailed the two by a safe distance, the same questions floating in his mind as they walked. Mr. Curious wanted to know where Lois was going and why was she heading on an escapade at midnight. Clark was so consumed with his thoughts that he didn't notice the fallen twig that lay in his path. The twig snapped in half, as he stepped on it, causing Lois to stop dead in her tracks.

Lois tensed up and stood motionlessly. Even thought it was an oven outside, it felt as though she was standing inside a freezer. Straining to hear if anyone was behind her, she asked herself, 'am I being followed?' as panic started to slowly rise inside her and her nervousness blossoming even more.

'What if this person wants to attack me? Wait, I'll beat him to a pulp... but what if he has gun? Or a knife or a—'

Thinking quickly, Clark propelled forward and picked up the broken twig, and tossed it near Shelby's paws. He then ran behind the biggest trees he could find, which were several feet away.

Clark mentally beat himself up for his careless mistake as he dropped his head to his chest. How could he be so careless? What if she saw him? How would he explain himself to her? He could always confess, and Lois would never forgive him for all of eternity, since he was invading her privacy and wasn't minding his own business.

He lifted his head and watched as Lois slowly turned around and squat down next to Shelby. She was about to send the hound looking for someone when she noticed the broken twig near his paw. Lois let out a sigh of relief, her hand resting over her chest, and quietly said, "thank God it's only you."

'No one's out to get me,' she contently thought, then stood erect, rolled her shoulders to remove some tension, and continued her journey.

Clark stepped out from behind the shadows of the trees, careful not to make a sound, and resumed trailing Lois and Shelby. This time, doubling the amount of space between them, ensuring he watched his steps, not wanting his presence known if another sound was made. Five minutes later, their destination was finally discovered.

-TBC-


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Suspicion

Chloe rolled over to the other side of the bed, and when her body hit the comfortable mattress instead of Lois, she cracked open an eyelid.

She looked around with one open eye and after realizing that Lois was not in the room, she opened the other. The young reporter rationalized that her cousin, who was more like a sister, was probably in the bathroom.

After five minutes had passes, Chloe sat straight up in the bed she was sharing with Lois for the night, and whispered quietly, "where is she?"

What a way to spend the day off school and work. Chloe had driven down the previous night, so she to spend some time with Lois. She sighed as she remembered the reason why she was at Clark's parent's house tonight, instead of Lois' apartment.

Lois' apartment had been burnt in a fire a month ago, when she accidentally left her curling iron on in the bathroom all night. Lois had returned late at night, after her date, to her abode with firefighters extinguishing the fire.

Fortunately, Lois had an old metal trunk that had belonged to her mother -which she kept all her prized possessions in, wasn't damaged. The dress was one of the items that was safely kept inside that trunk.

The petite cousin rolled out of bed, and inaudibly made her way to the hallway. When she and her cousin were younger, they would share a bed whenever they had sleepovers; but during her short trip, Chloe remembered that it never took Lois that long to use the bathroom. The washroom door was open, ruling out the possibility of Lois using it.

She made her way into the bathroom, surprised by the coolness of the bathroom tile. It was a heat wave but yet the floors remained as cold as an ice rink. She peered out the small window that faced the apple orchard and the thick, crisp, grass field. Chloe always loved this view, especially at night when a full moon out, such as tonight because it gave her a sense of peace, and inner tranquility, just like the calming sound of the ocean. Fresh cut grass, the scent of flowers, the chirps of crickets, the soft glow of light bug and the sticky heated air filled her senses when she opened the window.

Chloe saw something move about in the orchard and frowned in confusion; there was no wind; could that be Lois? She got her answer two seconds later, as a short, petite person emerged from the sea of apple trees. Chloe squinted both of her sky blue eyes in order to get a better look at the person in question. Yes, that was Lois. Chloe could recognize her confident gait from anywhere.

Chloe thought as a smug smile crept up her lips. She loved to be right! Her smile faltered as she saw Shelby emerge from the orchard several feet behind Lois.

What was Shelby doing with Lois? What made the situation odd was that Lois was playing with Shelby, and she wasn't acting irritated, like she usually did when she was near the dog. Chloe scratched her head, but then became excited; she had a mystery to solve, even thought it was midnight.

Chloe was about to leave when she saw another shadow exit. Except for walking out into the field like Shelby and Lois did, it stayed along side the trees, as if he was trying to remain hidden. Chloe's senses were on alert. Was this person going to hurt Lois?

Her panic slightly subdued when Shelby started barking which caused the person to disappear into the shadows once again and something indistinguishable fly out of a tree. She saw Lois move back towards Shelby and saw her point towards the field. As they both made their way to the vast open space, Chloe felt obliged to do something.

She quickly and quietly made her way back into Clark's room, and rummaged through Clark's closet. She gently pulled out the wooden bat, and crept down the stairs, careful not to step on the tenth step. She entered the living room to pick up her cell phone, which was being recharged, and noticed that Clark was not there.

"Weird," Chloe said her voice hardly audible. "Both Lois and Clark are out of bed." Chloe's eyes went wide as she had a sudden epiphany. "Clark's the other person," Chloe exclaimed quietly.

She quickly ran to the kitchen door, peered outside its small window and noticed that Lois' flip flops were gone, but Clark's shoes were still there.

Chloe frowned at this, as she quickly slipped on her own shoes; why would Clark leave the house without his shoes?

Nevertheless, frantic thoughts floated through her mind; what if the man wasn't Clark? As she shut the door behind her, she rationalized, "he went barefoot," trying to convince herself that it was Clark's tall shadow she saw after all.

Chloe was getting more nervous; she shook her head trying to clear her thoughts as she set down the path Lois and Clark had embarked on and quickly, but inconspicuously made her diminutive voyage towards the field, praying that the shadow indeed belonged to Clark.

-TBC-


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Falling (Part 1)

Clark stood motionless, facing the field, when he heard Shelby bark. He moved back into the shadowed protection of the orchard trees, thinking that Shelby was barking at him when the bark was directed at the UFO.

He stayed hidden until Lois had called Shelby away from the tree. It seemed that she wasn't bothered by the thing. Clark suddenly realized that Lois wasn't annoyed when the golden retriever started playing with the magnificent woman that had filled his thoughts. Clark stood rooted, as he watched them with a smile on his face. He knew deep down she adored Shelby; this was proof.

Chloe subtly walked up to Clark. She was about to make her presence known when she noticed that her best friend's attention was focused on her cousin. A smile broke out on her flushed face. Instead of interrupting him, she decided to keep hidden. She slid behind a tree that was several feet to Clark's right. She tip-toed her way towards the hiding spot and watched as the events played out. Like Clark, she noticed that Lois wasn't sneezing around Shelby, like she usually did. She tucked that piece of information in the back of her mind for later as her attention refocused on the lady in the field.

Lois was rubbing Shelby's belly, with a smile across her face. After a several minutes Lois decided to send Shelby away, "alright, time to go find a toy to play with. I have things I need to do. And don't give me that look" she said while dismissing him with the flick of her hand.

Lois, gracefully, stood up and commenced her dancing. Both Chloe and Clark stood awe-stricken as Lois moved gracefully like a ballerina.

Chloe couldn't believe that Lois still remembered ballet. It had been over fifteen years since she had her last performance on stage. As the initial shock wore off, Chloe felt like she was three again, when they were both in ballet class together. At the age of three, Chloe's role model was Lois; everything that Lois wanted to do, Chloe wanted to also do. And to this day, Lois still was.

Lois closed her eyes as she let the music filling her mind overtake her. She let her pleasure, happiness and delights swallow her whole; this was to be a night of rejoicement and celebration, not one of worry.

Her eyes, like sparkling diamonds in the water, opened wide as she tilted her head towards the midnight sun. Her pearl white teeth shone brightly in the night sky when she laughed in delight or when a smile played across her picturesque face. She was an apparition of beauty, Clark concluded, as he watched her continue to move to the music that filled her mind.

She extended her straightened left leg behind her, with her right leg slightly bent, supporting her. She slowly moved her body towards the ground so that she was parallel to the green earth.

_We get it almost every night_

_When that moon gets big and bright_

_It's supernatural delight_

_Everybody was dancin' in the moonlight _

Her arms were raised, in front of her, so that she formed a line with her body that inclined downwards, starting with her raised back foot to her outstretched hands. She then started to lean forward and back again, creating a slow see-saw movement.

_Everybody here is outta sight _

_They don't bark, and they don't bite_

_They keep things loose, they keep things light_

Her quiet voice filled the brightly lit midnight sky,

_"Everybody's dancin' in the moonlight_

_Dancing in the moonlight_

_Everybody's feelin' warm and right_

_It's such a fine and natural sight_

_Everybody's dancin' in the moonlight _

Her body came back to a full upright position before she continued on her rhythmic movement.

_We like our fun and we never fight_

_You can't dance and stay uptight_

_It's supernatural delight_

_Everybody's dancin' in the moonlight _

Her next move had her audience mesmerized.

She did a long horizontal jump forward, starting on her right leg and landing on the left. In the middle of the jump, she did a split in midair, creating the illusion that she was floating in air.

_Dancin' in the moonlight _

_Everybody's feelin' warm and bright _

_It's such a fine and natural sight_

_Everybody's dancin' in the moonlight" _

The beautiful dancer brought one foot sharply in as she sprung onto her toes, with her legs close together, while turning in air. Lois then made a bold sweep, bringing her leg round to the front before she swiveled round with her feet close together. She came to a slight stop as she reached the end of the movement.

Lois had been so enraptured with her dance that she didn't realize Shelby had returned with a Frisbee dangling in his mouth. Shelby watched his favorite person as she started spinning around in place, with arms wide open as if she was waiting for someone to embrace her.

The young woman stopped moving, only to find Shelby sitting ten feet away from her with a plats tic toy in his mouth. Lois smiled. He was so cute sitting there, waiting for her attention. It was times like these when she loved the golden mutt.

"How may I help you?" Lois asked the dog light heartedly, with a small smile gracing her face. Shelby responded by walking up to her and dropping the plastic toy by her bare feet. "You wanna play…here you go," she said picking up the toy and letting it fly out of her hand. It sailed over the orchard and landed the middle of the tall fruited plants. The golden retriever wagged his tail enthusiastically as he headed of in search of his toy. Lois softly chuckled as she watched the family pet run off into the distance.

Instead of resuming her activity, she simply stood there, waiting for Shelby to return. She didn't have to wait long before he came back with the toy in his mouth. She took the Frisbee and tossed it again. They went on playing for a period of time, all sense of time lost. Lois bent over and told Shelby "I'm going to throw this one last time, before I get back to what I was doing."

Shelby just stood there with his tongue out of his mouth and his tail wagging back and forth waiting for Lois to throw the piece of plastic.

Lois threw the Frisbee with great force, in hopes that it would travel further than the previous two times. She turned her head and followed its path. Disbelief washed over her; the Frisbee was gaining altitude with rapid succession. She muttered "oh great" as it finally came to a stop in a pear tree, which stood outside the fenced field. "Has that tree always been there?" she asked herself. "Well obviously" she muttered a reply.

She looked down at Shelby who had let out a quite whine because he couldn't get to his toy. He looked up at his favorite person and let out another whine.

"I know what you're thinking, and the answer is no" Lois firmly said.

He let out a loud whimper.

"I'm not going to get the toy. I have more important things to do than climb a tree and get you your toy."

The dog kept looking up at Lois with his sad eyes and let out his fifth whimper within the duration of a couple minutes.

She regarded the dog intently. She knew that he wouldn't stop whining until she got the toy. She let out a deep sigh and closed her eyes for a moment. When she reopened them, she swore that the mutt was pouting.

"Fine!" she had caved. She shook her head, and made her way en route to the enormous pear tree with Shelby following her lead.

-TBC-


End file.
